Evangeline's Baptism.

Evangeline became a new little Catholic on September 17, 2014.  Such a happy, happy day!  

My sister and a Fr. Sebastian, a dear friend of mine (who officiated our wedding, and was just recently ordained a Dominican Priest!), were Eve's godparents--pretty good ones, I'll say. We joke that Evangeline will have a bit of an advantage over our next children, with all the prayers that will be constantly coming her way!  Fr. Sebastian wasn't able to make it to the ceremony, so we asked Alex's brother Brian to stand in, which was great.  (As good a proxy as anyone could ever be!) 

She didn't utter a peep through the entire ceremony, except a very loud and brief coo when Father blessed her mouth in order that she might proclaim faith in God.  A good time to shout out, I think.  

Sister Sister.

One of the highlights of my summer was having my sister, Tessa, visit in mid-August.  It was so lovely to see her--I definitely miss our days at college when she was only a few hundred yards away.  It was her first time meeting Evangeline in real life (skype doesn't count), so that made it extra fun of course.

We spent the week of her visit showing her some of our favorite places around the city, such as Eataly, the Art Institute, and the Botanic Gardens.  (The Magritte Exhibit at the Art Institute is incredible.  We were all transfixed!  Including Evangeline!)  We also went to Greektown.  Tessa had been there before (she spent a summer working at Metro), but this was a first for Alex and me.  A friend had recommended that we eat at a restaurant called Greek Islands, and I'm so happy we did, because the food was excellent; who knew that a stuffed tomato could be one of the best things I've ever eaten!?

Please come back soon, Tessa!

 

Deliciousness, provided by Eataly.

Baby with Bread, 2014.

 

a taste of late summer.

Whenever I eat figs (which is quite rarely), I'm struck by the intensity of the memories that accompany the taste.  I feel as though I'm again in the orchard at Due Santi, standing beneath the massive fig tree and luxuriating in that absolutely divine and unique aroma that fills the air (honeysuckle, pine boughs, and sunshine....that's the closest I've come to describing it).  Those warm, golden Roman afternoons, sticky fingers, buzzing bees.  Intoxicating.  How I miss it!  

Rachmaninov and A Thought.

Last weekend we went to Millennium Park to hear Rachmaninov and drink champagne.  They were playing Symphony No. 2, which is one of my absolute favourites.  I really can't say how much I enjoy these concerts in the park.  They're just dreamy on summer nights.  We had the perfect picnic dinner of cheese (Brie and this delectable truffle cheese from Trader Joe's), fruit, smoked trout, and crackers.  It was so lovely to get out and feel like we were on a date--something that doesn't exactly happen these days.  I realized how much I really need that "one-on-one" time with Alex (though it's not exactly one-on-one with a super cute third wheel!), especially now that Evangeline is here.  I really love love love having a baby.  Evangeline is such a joy!  And I feel like we've been eased into new-parenthood as well as possible by the kindness of family and friends, and the blessing of having a very good baby.  But something that I've been realizing more and more is that at the end of the day I'm just aching to do 'grown-up' things: go on a date, have a conversation with someone, make a nice dinner, be alone and still for just a few minutes, read a book or sew something.  It's so funny how you just take those things--the simplest things--for granted, and it's kind of scary when you realize those little luxuries don't come easily anymore, and that, though you're never alone, you feel somewhat lonely.  But that's enough of that.  For now, cheers to these cool summer nights and my lovely little family!

2 Months!

So our sweet Baby Evangeline is already two months old!  It's so surreal how quickly she's growing.  She seems to change by the minute!  Idiosyncrasies of her personality are becoming quite pronounced--she has a good sense of humour and is relatively even keeled, however, she is very particular about the things she likes and especially the things she hates.

So lets see, here are the current Baby Stats:

Skills: Being super cute, standing with just her hands holding ours, holding her head upright for long periods of time, dealing with the hiccups, eating, sleeping, numchucks, etc. etc.

Dislikes: Undesired blankets, tummy time, certain eating positions, being constrained in a car seat/wrap against her will, and not having our full attention.

Loves: Being read to (especially Winnie-the-Pooh and Modern Times), smiling, being held, eating, instantly messing up her brand clean diapers, looking in the mirror at her strange baby friend who lives inside, eating, cozying up with Mom and Dad, and taking walks in the stroller.

Evangeline being applauded by many, among them, Nancy Reagan.  (At the Reagan Museum, CA)

Goofball.

Daddy reading to Evangeline.

Why, yes, I am beautiful.  But I'm also smart.

Alex calls this her "surly" face.

That's a knee slapper...

Dealing with the hiccups is super intense.

Admiring the flora and fauna on her daily constitutional.

We love you, Evangeline!

#balboaburchlife2014

It was such a joy to spend a week (sadly too short of a time!) with this wonderful, beautiful family of ours.  So blessed.  We cannot wait until next summer, when Evangeline will be toddling around with all theses swell cousins!  (Thanks to Emily and Emily for these great shots I'm stealing!) 

Till next year, Beach!

Whirlwind Summer.

Phew.  Here I am, finally back to this little blog.  It sure has been a while, and as I try to climb back up on the blogging wagon it definitely seems a little bigger than I remember.  But here we go.

Just two weeks after Evangeline was born, we made a spur of the moment trip to Balboa to spend the 4th of July with Alex's parents.  As we were going out for the Family Vacation (#balboaburchlife) at the end of July anyways we just pulled a switcheroo with our outgoing flight (thanks Southwest), and were blessed enough to be able to stay at the beach for an entire month.

Our days were filled with hours of cozy time, cousins, long walks, Dad's, games, and plenty of beach time.  Such a dream!

cozy time with GG.

  

festive for the 4th.

                           

                                  our friends, Mary Elizabeth and Danny, who are getting married in
                               November came out for a weekend!  what a blessing to see them!

pure perfection.

Eve and Meliz.

       

                                  

Welcome, Evangeline Camille!

Evangeline Camille, The Most Delicious of Babies!  

June 18, 2014

Mastering the Art of French Baking, among other things.

Since Evangeline has not yet decided that being born is a good idea, I've been keeping myself occupied with other things...such as obsessively cleaning the apartment, whitening our sheets with natural non-bleach whitening techniques, reorganizing the pantry, and covering furniture scratches with this blessed concoction.  I actually really enjoy these sorts of productive activities--they give my life some semblance of order, which, these days, I feel has been tremendously lacking.  

// Fun Things To Do (Even with a Belly of Monstrous Size) //

40 weeks.

Get nails did.  

I snagged a sweet groupon which got me a manicure/pedicure with lavender paraffin wax (which was just heavenly).

I've never been good about caring for my feet, but I think I may start seeing as when the lady who did my toes saw mine she sighed and remarked, "I can see you haven't gotten this done in a very long time..." 

Go to Millennium Park for free outdoor concerts.  

Alex and I went to their first concert on Wednesday evening and I was so happy we went (he'd been so excited about it).  The highlight of the concert was Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2, and it was phenomenal.

Master the Art of French Baking.  

I made this chocolate almond cake courtesy of Julia Child, which, let's just say, is sinfully delicious.  

(Recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

Ingredients

For the cake:
• 4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons rum or coffee
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (132 grams) + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
• 3 large eggs, separated
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup (35 grams) almond flour/meal
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup (57 grams) cake flour, sifted
For the icing:
• 4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 tablespoons rum or coffee
• 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Slivered almonds, for garnish

Instructions

To make the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Combine the chopped chocolate and coffee or run in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir as the chocolate melts and remove from heat as soon as it's smooth. Set aside to cool.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until pale and creamy. Add the 3 egg yolks and beat until thick. Add the cooled melted chocolate. Stir in the almond extract and almond meal/flour and mix until just combined.
4. In a separate bowl and with a whisk attachment, whip the 3 egg whites and salt on high speed until foamy. Slowly add the tablespoon of sugar and whip to stiff peaks.
5. Add 1/4 of the whipped egg whites to the batter and fold gently until combined. Add and fold in the remaining whites in 3 additions, alternating with the sifted cake flour. Fold only until the streaks of egg whites disappear, do not overmix.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles when the pan is bumped, about 25 minutes.
7. Let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to remove cake from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing:
8. Combine the chopped chocolate and coffee or run in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir as the chocolate melts and remove from heat as soon as it's smooth.
9. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time and use a whisk to beat it into the chocolate. Whisk until smooth.
10. Let the icing cool to a spreadable consistency, stirring it every 5 minutes or so. It should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
11. Spoon the icing on top of the cooled cake and spread it to cover. Garnish with slivered almonds.